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This week's theme Medicinal words to describe people This week's words choleric phlegmatic sanguine melancholic bilious Today's word in Visual Thesaurus A Word A Day the book "Delightful." -The New York Times Buy Discuss Feedback RSS/XML A.Word.A.Day with Anu Garg phlegmatic PRONUNCIATION: (fleg-MAT-ik) MEANING: adjective: 1. Having a sluggish temperament; apathetic. 2. Calm or composed. ETYMOLOGY: From Latin phlegmaticus, from Greek phlegmatikos, from phlegm (inflammation, the humor phlegm supposedly as a result of heat), from phlegein (to burn). USAGE: "So why are Israelis almost hysterical about the Iranian threat, while South Koreans are phlegmatic about the North Korean threat?" Gwynne Dyer; Koreans, Israelis and Nukes; The Korea Times (Seoul); May 26, 2009. A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: Is not dread of thirst when your well is full, thirst that is unquenchable? -Kahlil Gibran, mystic, poet, and artist (1883-1931)

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